'Danger Bay' star Donnelly Rhodes dead at 80

Donnelly Rhodes of Da Vinci's Inquest holds his trophy after winning for best actor in a leading dramatic role at the 17th Annual Gemini Awards in Toronto on Nov. 4, 2002. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin FrayerKevin Frayer / THE CANADIAN PRESS

MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. — Actor Donnelly Rhodes, best-known in Canada for his roles in Danger Bay and Da Vinci’s Inquest, died Monday of cancer. He was 80.

A news release from the talent agency Northern Exposure says Rhodes died at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, B.C.

The Winnipeg-born actor received numerous accolades, including a Gemini award for his leading role in the drama Da Vinci’s Inquest in 2002 and a Gemini Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.

He was played the lead role of marine biologist Grant “Doc” Roberts on the Canadian television series Danger Bay, which ran from 1984 to 1990.

Rhodes was recognized by the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame with a star on Granville St.’s Star Walk in Vancouver.

Rhodes, who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an airman-mechanic before settling into his career as an actor, was also known in the U.S. for his role as the dim-witted escaped con Dutch in the ABC soap opera spoof Soap.

He studied at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and was a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963.

He made his professional debut on stage at Stratford Theatre as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire before he became a contract player for Universal Pictures in the U.S., where he landed television roles on Bonanza, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Cheers, Golden Girls and The Young and the Restless.

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